Current residential and commercial buildings must generally comply with certain fire safety standards such as set forth by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), or other administrative agency. For example, wood joists and sheet rock are typically used to create a finished room in a residential or commercial building. When using such materials, the building room or structure must typically satisfy a specific UL “fire-rated” assembly standard. For example, one applicable test is UL's 1 hr. Fire Rated L-500 Floor-Ceiling Assembly test. This test measures and rates a given floor-ceiling assembly for fire safety compliance, as related to flame containment and thermal transfer to adjacent joist spaces. Additional safety standards apply to recessed lighting assemblies or fixtures and electrical enclosures. UL 1598 is an example of a standard that is used to evaluate light fixtures for use in residential and commercial applications.
When installing a recessed lighting assembly in a ceiling structure, the lighting assembly is typically attached to the joist rafters or I-beams (e.g., “ceiling support members”). After making the proper electrical connections, drywall is usually attached to the ceiling support members concealing the recessed lighting assembly, The installer then cuts a hole; into a surface of the drywall of the ceiling to access the recessed lighting assembly below the ceiling surface for fixture lamping, and finished trim installation. As a result the recessed lighting assembly is positioned in relation to the ceiling surface to distribute light into the room.
However, one problem associated with installing a recessed lighting assembly in such a manner is that the hole cut in the surface can change the UL fire safety ratings of the floor-ceiling assembly as a result of the ceiling structure being breached. For or example, by cutting a hole into the ceiling, a non-continuous surface results and the floor-ceiling assembly may no longer satisfy certain UL fire safety standards. Allowing either flame, heat or both to enter the space above the floor-ceiling assembly may cause severe damage or total loss of the structure.
To overcome this problem when installing a recessed lighting assembly, a builder or installer may fabricate a conventional “fire box” around the recessed lighting assembly just prior to installation to create a continuous ceiling surface. The “fire box” is typically made from the same drywall used to form an adjacent ceiling. Most building inspectors interpret such a continuous ceiling surface as complying with all applicable fire standards as long as the appropriate materials are used. However, because the fire box is unattached and must be fabricated by the installer separately from the lighting assembly, a substantial amount of additional time, materials and expense can be incurred. Moreover, because most builders are unsure of the minimum size box to provide sufficient fire safety, exceedingly large boxes are typically utilized, causing unnecessary cost and expense.
Another conventional solution is to purchase prefabricated enclosures designed to fit between the ceiling support members. These prefabricated enclosures, however, are also often larger than necessary to enclose the recessed lighting assembly, causing unnecessary costs to be incurred.
Another conventional solution is to purchase and install recessed lighting assemblies that have been rated and UL, listed to maintain the fire rating when installed properly. These conventional assemblies typically include a light fixture enclosed with a separate or integrally formed box that contains a fire rated material such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,105,334 and 6,357,891. The fire rated materials used for these enclosures typically include an aluminum support structure with fire rated drywall walls or a stamped metal structure with all internal bottom and wall surfaces having a cementitious or intumescent layer. However, the cost of these conventional preassembled recessed light fixtures is typically very high due to the labor and material expense required to fabricate the drywall panel walls and support structure or to stamp and coat all internal surfaces. In addition, the weight of each of these conventional preassembled recessed light fixtures increases the difficulty of installing the respective recessed lighting assembly.
Therefore, a need exists for a recessed lighting assembly that overcomes the problems noted above and others previously experienced for inhibiting a fire in a room from traveling through a ceiling, floor, or wall of the room via the recessed lighting assembly. These and other needs will become apparent to those of skill in the art after reading the present specification.